Public fire fighting authorities including the CFA and managers of public land, especially forests, have not been the only ones preparing for the summer fire season.

HVP plantations that manages about 130,000 hectares extending from near Warragul to Maffra has also been ramping up its preparations.
Within Gippsland the company has more than 110 active firefighters, 45 firefighting vehicles including 10 fire tankers as well as a water-bombing helicopter.
HVP's fire management forester for Gippsland Gaby Mitchell said its crews had already attended a couple of fires in recent weeks.
She said throughout the year maintenance has been carried out to fire tankers and slip-on units, a new tanker added to the fleet, three new crew members engaged and annual fire training conducted for all staff and contractors.
It's important to be ready early, Ms Mitchell said, adding the priority was to ensure community safety and protect the company's plantations.
We continue to work closely with the CFA to ensure we are as well prepared as possible, she said.
Across Victoria HVP has seven Forestry Industry Brigades and some 200 trained fire fighters dedicated to clearing and maintaining hundreds of kilometres of roads, tracks and firebreaks to ensure access in an emergency.
Its total estate of 240,000 hectares includes 170,000 hectares of pine and eucalypt plantations and more than 48,000 hectares of native forest.
In all, it employs about 900 staff and contractors and supplies around three million tonnes of timber each year to processors and manufacturers.